


Finding Home

by reisling



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: 5+1 Things, AU: Tifa fell during the No.5 Reactor mission, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fanart, Ficlet Collection, Gen, Hair, Illustrations, Introspection, Let Tifa Lockhart say Fuck, Meet-Cute, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Tifa Lockhart, Pre-Relationship, The more things change the more they stay the same
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-27 02:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20940863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reisling/pseuds/reisling
Summary: Aerith and Tifa, finding their home in each other.Short little things for AertiWeek2019, with some quick doodles.





	1. Hiraeth

**Author's Note:**

> I have _so many_ other projects this month, but here we are.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1: soft focus | favorite scene or moment | <strike>crossovers and</strike> AUs | hiraeth
> 
> Oh wow, it's like playing bingo here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This thing diverges at some point during the No.5 Reactor mission.
> 
> Since my ADHD brain hates rehashing established canon, I'm only vaguely referring to what happens in the game. (And from a different PoV with a different narrative voice, no less.)
> 
> ... It might not make much sense if you aren't familiar with the OG, (re-)checking a playthrough or a script may help.

Tifa is feeling a bit nervous about being an active part of this Mission. It's been a while since her last one.

Even with the hiccup on the train ride to the No.5 Reactor, everything is going fine.

Get there, get in, get to the core.

<strike>Something's up with Cloud, is he really alright?</strike>

Place the bomb.

Get back out.

... Or not. Everything is _not_ going fine.

ShinRa roops surround them while they're stuck on the bridge connecting the inside of the reactor to the outside, and even the President makes an appearance.

It's a trap, after all. Dammit.

And of course The Glory Days of Sephiroth are all they care about. Not how mako energy is killing the Planet, nor all the people who've died already because of ShinRa; only _Sephiroth_.

And SOLDIER, of course.

And a techno-soldier? What the fuck. Fuck.

... Aaand of course the President is running now that things are really getting heated. Of course.

Okay, then.

Smash the thing, get back out. One additional step on the itinerary.

No big deal, Barret and Cloud have her back, after all.

Fight on!

* * *

Despite the daunting title of Techno-Soldier, the fight against the Air Buster goes fairly smoothly.

It jumps right into the middle of their usual battle formation, leaving Tifa on one side, separated from the others.

As it turns out, the backside is much weaker than the front. And while it's programmed to face wherever it got hit last, it's easy enough to coordinate with the others and take turns to strike from each side, hitting the weak side each time. Being separated into two groups has given them an advantage.

It runs out of ammo soon enough, and a bit later stops moving around altogether.

It's easy enough to bring the thing down.

Too easy, maybe.

The scrap heap that used to be the Air Buster explodes. Another trap.

Tifa is thrown by the force of the explosion; she barely manages to catch herself and in turn prevent herself from falling down the gap.

She secures her hold and starts to climb up. Barret and Cloud are reaching down, trying to help her.

Before she manages to get close enough for them to actually be able to pull her up though, the bomb they left at the core detonates.

The resulting shockwaves shake the entire reactor.

Tifa loses her grip.

She falls.

* * *

Tifa takes a breath.

_...lo..._

She can smell the earth. The scent of nature is in the air.

She can feel the grass behind her back, some stalks between her fingers.

_...e...llo?..._

It reminds her of spending springs in the mountains, of when things would start sprouting and growing again after a cold and harsh winter.

It reminds her of home.

But no. Her home does not exist anymore.

Nibelheim burned down <strike>four</strike> five years ago.

<strike>Has it really been that long?</strike>

_Hello-_ohh?

She opens her eyes and sits up.

She's not home. Of course not.

She is, however, in a field of flowers.

And there's an angel in front of her.

They talk.

The angel's name is Aerith.

* * *

(While Nibelheim may be gone, Tifa thinks she will be able to find a new home with time.)

(Maybe Aerith will be there, too.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Fight On!" is the English title of the battle theme that plays during the Air Buster Fight.
> 
> Considering how often the "waking up in a flower bed" scene happens across Squeenix media I'm clearly not the only one who loves that scene.
> 
> What is a dialogue. Never heard of him.


	2. Aeipathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: monochrome | missing scenes | tropes and clichés | aeipathy
> 
> How did this turn into a 5 Imperfect Endings + 1 Happily Ever After. Why.
> 
> This wasn't even supposed to be a shippy shipfic, but _here we fucking are._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess the ficlets will be connected to each other. But like, loosely connected.
> 
> This "chapter" in and of itself consists of loosely connected ficlets.
> 
> *jazz hands*
> 
> (And I'm still basing things around the events of the OG without directly talking about them.)

After all the hurry and the hectic escape from Midgar, they get their first reprieve once they've settled in Kalm.

Cloud starts opening up about his experience of the Incident. But...

His version's off.

_Zack_ was the SOLDIER who came with Sephiroth. There was a whole photo op while Tifa was guiding them to the reactor.

She clearly remembers asking the ShinRa party about Cloud.

But Cloud seems so sure... Just what is going on in his head?

Shenanigans aside, Tifa is really getting worried.

It's like Cloud's inserting himself into all the spaces that Zack occupied.

Or maybe _Tifa's_ memory is the faulty one? That _was_ one Hel of a traumatic week, starting with the collapsing bridge.

And memories are notoriously unreliable, especially those around and about traumata.

Better keep an eye out and make sure to get things right before speaking up about it. She decides to go along with Cloud's version of events, for now.

And just what is the link between Jenova, Sephiroth, and the Ancients, anyway?

The... _thing_ they saw in the Science Department looked rather alien.

And it's really hard to believe that Sephiroth and Aerith could be related.

She does not seem to be handling that revelation well.

Those are not thoughts she should be left alone with.

Maybe Tifa could spend some time with her, and they'll distract each other for a while. Stop thinking about all the loss. Cheer up a bit.

* * *

After a rather tumultuous journey across the Ocean, they get to the Western Continent.

One bit closer to what used to be home.

As popular as Costa del Sol is as a vacation spot, the climate is uncomfortable to Tifa. Too much sun, and much too hot.

Better go cool down in the water.

Aerith seems partial to that as well.

And off they go, to enjoy some beach time together!

But not for long.

What the fuck, Hojo. What. The. Fuck.

* * *

After the mess in Corel, visiting the Gold Saucer seems like catching a break.

Even with Aerith promptly putting her foot in her mouth where Barret is concerned.

Is she alright?

Is anyone?

Maybe she has a point about acting normal until it becomes true. Pretend to hold it together until it stops being a pretence.

Even with all the dangers around, Tifa gives "acting normal" a try with Aerith's support.

And the normal thing to do at the Saucer is to try all the activitities in all the different Squares, earn some GPs, and have lots of fun.

And get accosted by some robot cat to get your fortune read?

Okay, then.

It's definitely not normal to run into the aftermath of a massacre in Battle Square outside of the Arena, though.

Shit.

* * *

Gongaga. Isn't that...?

Zack's hometown, apparently.

Aerith knew him, too?

Sometimes, the world is really small.

Her First Love? Oh.

(What did happen to Zack after his confrontation with Sephiroth in the reactor? No one seems to know for sure, and he was supposed to be one of the more popular SOLDIERs. Not necessarily on Sephiroth's level, but still.)

(ShinRa and SOLDIER can go rot, but Zack was nice enough as an individual, all things considered. Tifa hopes he's doing alright wherever he is, despite everything.)

* * *

What the fuck is with Nibelheim. That's not. What the fuck. No.

Just, NO.

* * *

* * *

And back to the Gold Saucer they go. Maybe this time the "acting normal" plan will actually work.

The trams are stalled anyway, might as well enjoy the time they'll have to spend there.

Aerith pairs off with Tifa.

It's a date.

There are special promotions all over the place, including one in Event Square.

The 100th couple gets to participate in the show as the Hero and the Damsel!

Even though they are the 100th, the staff tries to pass them over. Because the Hero needs to be a man, while the Damsel is a woman.

Not according to Aerith, though. It's really attractive how worked up she gets, arguing how she can totally be the Hero. _Successfully_ argue how she can be the Hero, at that.

Which leaves Tifa as the Damsel.

Maybe this time it will actually work, and her Promised Hero _will_ show up right at her time of need.

After double-teaming the Evil Dragon King, they go to enjoy their happily ever after on a Gondola ride.

Everything is perfect from up there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to pun about the Calm in Kalm.
> 
> By shenanigans I mean, of course, the Orthopedic Underwear.
> 
> Not a fan of the BC retcons here. So no lost kitty cat and Turk encounter and collapsing ropeway even before the SOLDIER party gets to Nibelheim. Tife took _so many_ falls that week. It was a very bad, no-good, awful week. The worst.
> 
> Sometimes the initial concept with "Tifa" (who was really more Aerith) and "Sefiros" (who _really_ looks like Vincent, with the bandana and high collar) as estranged Cetra sibs gives me joy. At other times it's prime angst material. 😉
> 
> Yuffie may or may not be part of the party. Who knows. I don't. I'm mostly disregarding the rest of the party here either way. (I mean, I like recruiting Yuffie while still on the Eastern Continent because I love having ranged fighters who don't guzzle MPs and her dialogue options are really fun, but the story doesn't have to follow the game, right? Right.)
> 
> I got as much whiplash writing this as I do when playing the game, when it jumps between World-Ending Drama and fun slice of life party shenanigans.
> 
> Aerith is a filthy enabler. As long as it ensures that no one looks too closely at her.
> 
> Gotta love language when it allows you to throw a line on paper, and keep it wholly ambiguous who or what that line is even about, and still make sense anyway. And it's *chef's kiss* when an unreliable narrator exacerbates that.
> 
> Zack's popularity may vary, but in CC you can get him to have a fan club big enough to rival the other Big Three which is super neat. He deserves all the love.
> 
> Ironically, one of the big "twists" of BC is that ShinRa did pretty much the same thing in Kalm before they did it in Nibelheim. Including Hojo going around farming for test subjects in the immediate aftermath. In CC Banora only rated a "burn down to the ground", but no "rebuild as it was before and repopulate with actors pretending to be Natives". Might be a Hojo thing rather than ShinRa thing, then.
> 
> I am absolutely the kind of contrary shit who will derail the play.
> 
> I swear I don't actually hate dialogue.  
I am more prone to writing meta than fic, though.


	3. Sweven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: warm tones | alone together | firsts and lasts | sweven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure who's at the helm of this train, but I don't think it's me.
> 
> <strike>It's starting to feel like a fever dream. Or a sweven, if you will.</strike>

Waking up the morning after staying at the Gainsborough house is a calm affair.

It’s still very early in the morning, after all.

Tifa does some light stretches and gets up.

Her hair is a mess.

She shakes her head to loosen the tangles a bit. With her fingers, she carefully combs through her hair, working her way upwards from the ends.

While not perfect, she can slide her hand down through her hair without getting caught in a massive knot after a few minutes.

She splits her hair into a couple sections and braids them loosely, tying it up at the end with her red hair tie.

After tidying up the bed she stayed in, she takes a final look around to make sure she hasn’t left anything lying around.

Ready to go, then.

* * *

The first night camping outside of Midgar is an Experience.

It’s been a long time since Tifa last saw the night sky unhindered. Even on the few occasions where she’d end up on the Plate at night, the mako fumes over Midgar pretty much make it impossible to see much of anything.

While Midgar’s light pollution still makes it difficult to see _all_ the stars, they’re far enough out that the brightest ones are visible anyway.

She misses those nights in Nibelheim, where she’d get to spend an evening outside sitting on a roof, stargazing. They’d drum the whole gang together, everyone would bring something to nibble on, and they’d tell stories about the Planet and the stars.

Things were lighter then.

Aerith joins her outside their shared tent, holding her hair brush in her hand.

“Hey, is it okay if I brush your hair out and put it into a loose braid before we go to sleep?”

“Only if I get to do yours afterwards.”

“Okay then, let’s do each other’s hair! It’ll be like a sleepover.”

“You know, this is the first time that I remember actually seeing the sky like this. It’s only ever been gray with a green tint when looking up in Midgar. I like the colors, but it’s kind of scary how wide and open it is.

“With everyone around to keep me grounded, I don’t think I’ll be afraid, though.”

* * *

One last stop before they get to the Temple of the Ancients. Before they go to make sure that Sephiroth does not get the Black Materia.

Like every other night, Aerith and Tifa sit down together before going to sleep and do their hair. It’s become their own little nightly ritual, some peace and quiet amid the ups and downs of this journey.

Tifa has learned a lot about how to handle and care for curly hair like Aerith’s since that first night on the plains outside of Midgar.

She grabs the flask of Ochu oil and drips some on her fingers, then starts separating her braid into smaller strands. She carefully works her way up to the roots.

After finishing up, she fluffs up some of Aerith’s curls. They look great.

But it is getting late, and they do need to get ready to sleep.

She ties her hair into a loose braid.

They sleep.

They dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did an Dialogue! And then I followed it up with more lines of dialogue, and only picked narration up again in the next part. I have a one-track mind.
> 
> I spent far too much time overthinking the worldbuilding around flora and how to get butter/oil from said flora to not include Ochu oil.


	4. Absquatulate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: pastel | <strike>role swap</strike> | distance and reunion | absquatulate
> 
> _Technically_ I already did a little role swap. And kept putting similar little swaps in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How long can I keep stalling until things irrevocably break into tiny little pieces.

Things fall apart at the temple.

They manage to gain the upper hand for a moment, claiming the Black Materia for themselves.

But then...

Well, what happened has happened and is over and done with. Now they need to get their shit together, and make sure things don't get _worse_. Like prevent Sephiroth from actually summoning Meteor. Ruminations can be left for later. (If a later still exists by then.)

While everyone's busy putting themselves back together, Aerith leaves the party.

By the time Tifa notices, it's already too late to track her down.

Cloud is in need of immediate attention as well; he is a priority by virtue of being right in front of them.

They return to Gongaga to regroup, downtrodden but not yet defeated.

All is not lost. Not yet.

She won't let it be.

* * *

The journey to the Forgotten City is extremely exhausting.

The sights are very rewarding though.

The Sleeping Forest exudes magic from every single tree, culminating in a dream-like appearance. 

Stepping into the City of the Ancients itself is like entering into another world entirely, with its arching structures and stunning architecture.

They find a place to rest in the city.

Cloud winds up waking everyone up well before morning, with news about Aerith and Sephiroth.

Everyone scrambles to catch up to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to stop listening to Linkin Park while writing, that always gives me The Sad.

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit [my tumblr](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/) or [my twitter](https://twitter.com/wreathshade) and watch me slowly lose my mind this month! 💚💚💚


End file.
